Analisis Kualitatif Hubungan antara Persepsi Kualitas, Kepercayaan, dan Loyalitas: Perspektif Pelanggan terhadap Merek

Abstract

In the contemporary digital marketplace, consumers increasingly face diverse product choices and brand communications. Understanding the mechanisms through which product quality and brand perception influence customer loyalty remains critical for competitive advantage. The mediating role of customer trust in this relationship has received limited empirical attention within Indonesian market contexts. This research analyzes the direct and indirect effects of product quality and brand perception on customer loyalty, with customer trust as a mediating variable, using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) methodology on 103 respondents. A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was employed, collecting data via Likert-scale questionnaires (1-5) with 15 measurement items across four latent constructs: Product Quality (5 items), Brand Perception (4 items), Customer Trust (3 items), and Customer Loyalty (3 items). Data analysis utilized PLS-SEM via SmartPLS 3.0, including assessment of measurement model validity (outer model), structural relationships (inner model), and mediation effects through bootstrapping (5000 iterations). The outer model demonstrated adequate validity with 12 of 15 indicators loading above 0.7, and all constructs meeting composite reliability (CR > 0.7) and average variance extracted (AVE > 0.5) criteria. The inner model revealed that product quality significantly influenced customer trust (β = 0.624, p < 0.001), while brand perception showed no significant direct effect (β = 0.045, p = 0.767). Customer trust strongly predicted loyalty (β = 0.650, p < 0.001). Product quality demonstrated a significant indirect effect on loyalty through trust (β = 0.405, p < 0.001), indicating full mediation. The model explained 43.5% of trust variance and 42.2% of loyalty variance. Product quality emerged as the dominant antecedent of customer trust and loyalty, while brand perception did not significantly contribute. Trust served as the critical mechanism translating quality into loyalty. These findings suggest that companies should prioritize quality assurance and consistent delivery over brand marketing campaigns for sustainable loyalty development. The research contributes to mediation theory in consumer behavior and provides actionable strategic guidance for practitioners in emerging markets.